Imperial Parliament

The Illustrated London News,
vol. 44,
no. 1247,
p. 230.

March 5, 1864

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

...HOUSE OF COMMONS.--Friday,
Feb. 26.

...The Slave Trade.--Mr. Cave asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether her Majesty's Government intended to carry into execution the
provisions of the treaty with the United States for the suppression of
the slave trade by stationing cruisers off the coast of Cuba.--Lord
Palmerston said that no doubt the provisions
of the document alluded to had been colourably evaded so far as
related to the French interest in the matter, but really he thought it
was without design in that quarter. Great progress had been made in
the suppression of the traffic, and it might be depended upon that no
inactivity would be exhibited therein....

HOUSE OF LORDS.--Tuesday.

Alleged Federal Recruiting In
Ireland.

The Marquis of Clanricarde, in moving for
copies of any papers that might have been received by the Government
relative to recruiting in Ireland for the army of the Federal States,
inquired whether any remonstrance against such a proceeding had been
addressed to the authorities at Washington. It was, he said, notorious
that American agents had been enlisting recruits in the sister island,
and, as it was in violation of the principle of neutrality and a
breach of international law, he urged that it was the duty of the
Government to put a stop to it.

Earl Russell said he had no doubt that
any attempt on the part of the Federals to enlist recruits for their
army in Ireland would be a breach of the principle of neutrality, and
that it was an offence against our own municipal laws, which, if
detected, would subject the offender to punishment, and justify strong
complaints to the Government of the United States. On more than one
occasion he had already complained that such practices as the noble
Marquis had adverted to were going on on behalf of the Federal
Government in Ireland, and he had opened a correspondence with
Mr. Adams on the subject. That gentleman had, however, indignantly
denied the truth of such allegations; and, having received that
denial, he (Earl Russell) felt obliged to wait until some case had
occurred in which proof was forthcoming.

The Earl of Donoughmore observed that the
conduct of the Foreign Office in the particular case which had been
made the subject of inquiry contrasted most unfavourably with the
course they had adopted in reference to the steam-rams.

The Earl of Derby inquired whether the
Government had received any information from the authorities at Cork
and Dublin to the effect that persons were in the habit of assembling
in these places for the purpose of going through military drill and
exercise, and, if so, whether they had taken any measures to put down
such illegal proceedings.

Earl Granville replied that the Dublin
authorities had directed the attention of the police to the
proceedings of the Fenian Brotherhood, and there was reason to believe
that it was a perfectly contemptible organisation.

The motion for papers was then withdrawn...

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--Thursday.

Mr. Long gave notice that on Monday he would ask Lord Palmerston
whether the ships of war of the Confederate States were allowed the
same rights end privileges of searching and seizing contraband of war
on the high seas, &c.; and, if not, whether he thought it was
extending to them the same principle of impartiality as was shown to
the Federal States.